Fidaxomicin versus vancomycin for Clostridium difficile infection.

BACKGROUND: Clostridium difficile infection is a serious diarrheal illness associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Patients generally have a response to oral vancomycin or metronidazole; however, the rate of recurrence is high. This phase 3 clinical trial compared the efficacy and safety of fidaxomicin with those of vancomycin in treating C. difficile infection. METHODS: Adults with acute symptoms of C. difficile infection and a positive result on a stool toxin test were eligible for study entry. We randomly assigned patients to receive fidaxomicin (200 mg twice daily) or vancomycin (125 mg four times daily) orally for 10 days. The primary end point was clinical cure (resolution of symptoms and no need for further therapy for C. difficile infection as of the second day after the end of the course of therapy). The secondary end points were recurrence of C. difficile infection (diarrhea and a positive result on a stool toxin test within 4 weeks after treatment) and global cure (i.e., cure with no recurrence). RESULTS: A total of 629 patients were enrolled, of whom 548 (87.1%) could be evaluated for the per-protocol analysis. The rates of clinical cure with fidaxomicin were noninferior to those with vancomycin in both the modified intention-to-treat analysis (88.2% with fidaxomicin and 85.8% with vancomycin) and the per-protocol analysis (92.1% and 89.8%, respectively). Significantly fewer patients in the fidaxomicin group than in the vancomycin group had a recurrence of the infection, in both the modified intention-to-treat analysis (15.4% vs. 25.3%, P=0.005) and the per-protocol analysis (13.3% vs. 24.0%, P=0.004). The lower rate of recurrence was seen in patients with non­North American Pulsed Field type 1 strains. The adverse-event profile was similar for the two therapies. CONCLUSIONS: The rates of clinical cure after treatment with fidaxomicin were noninferior to those after treatment with vancomycin. Fidaxomicin was associated with a significantly lower rate of recurrence of C. difficile infection associated with non­North American Pulsed Field type 1 strains. (Funded by Optimer Pharmaceuticals; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00314951.)

Safety and efficacy of intravenous tigecycline in treatment of community-acquired pneumonia: results from a double-blind randomized phase 3 comparison study with levofloxacin.

Tigecycline exhibits potent in vitro activity against many community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) pathogens, including antibiotic-resistant ones. Its spectrum of activity and ability to penetrate lung tissue suggest it may be effective for hospitalized CAP patients. Hospitalized CAP patients (n=418) were randomized to receive intravenous (i.v.) tigecycline or levofloxacin. Patients could be switched to oral levofloxacin after receiving 6 or more doses of i.v. study medication. Therapy duration was 7 to 14 days. Coprimary efficacy end points were clinical responses in the clinically evaluable (CE: tigecycline, n=138; levofloxacin, n=156) and clinical modified intent-to-treat (c-mITT: tigecycline, n=191; levofloxacin, n=203) populations at test-of-cure (TOC). Safety was assessed in the mITT population (tigecycline, n=208; levofloxacin, n=210). Cure rates in tigecycline and levofloxacin groups were comparable in CE (90.6% versus 87.2%, respectively) and c-mITT (78% versus 77.8%, respectively) populations at TOC. Nausea and vomiting occurred in significantly more tigecycline-treated patients; elevated alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels were reported in significantly more levofloxacin-treated patients. There were no significant differences in hospital length of stay, median duration of i.v. or oral antibiotic treatments, hospital readmissions, or number of patients switched to oral levofloxacin. Tigecycline was safe, effective, and noninferior to levofloxacin in hospitalized patients with CAP.